Noisy Nashville 112

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Keoki
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Noisy Nashville 112

Post by Keoki » Fri May 05, 2023 6:16 pm

Aloha folks!

I recently purchased an older "nonfunctioning" Nashville 112 (S/N 003BAC0524545) as a "project" hoping to learn some basic diagnostics and amp repair techniques. I'm going to acknowledge right up front this thing could end up a noisy door stop, but as a half full kinda guy I'm hoping I can sort this out and end up with a nice little amp for my Duesenberg Split King Lap Steel. I got the amp so cheaply that I dont mind spending a few bucks to make it happen. Now, to be totally honest I do have a local Peavey Authorized tech lined up to go over the amp so that's the ultimate end game here. There obviously is a monetary point of no return but it's early on in the process but I thought I'd describe the issue at hand.

The seller (not the original owner) claimed the output was very low and that a liquid may have been involved. So when I got the the amp today I pulled the chassis (it was obvious someone else had been in there before me as the Phillips Head screws had been abused. Sure enough the amp obviously had something spilled/splashed into the chassis as there are numerous small rust spots throughout. (Note: Basic Guitar player Tenet: Do NOT put open containers on top of an amp, period, most particularly one with a chassis vent on top. Simply an invitation to just such a disaster as I have before me)

Well, after pulling the chassis, replacing the missing power cord, reconnecting the speaker (disconnected), and plugging the Master gain wiring harness into the back side Pre/Power jack's board, I held my breath and turned on the amp through my current limiter (lol light bulb setup) to protect the amp and see if there was excessive current draw. Nope, all good. Powered up fine, but man this thing snap, crackles and pops like bowl of Rice Krispies thats been mic'd up with an SM57 to a JCM 100 head dimed to 11. I mean really loud pops that deflected the speaker and some pretty heavy static, bad enough that I turned off the beast before it ripped the speaker apart.

I did searched online for basic reasons solid state amp would behave like that and got back total nonsense about how I needed to "check the power tubes" on my solid state amp..." Ridiculous baloney. Enough said about that informed source, so I found this forum (Thank you Peavey!)

I'll say that I'm not looking for guidance to repair the amp but I am curious about what could be causing such speaker chaos with all the gains and controls turned down, I'm thinking power at this point, a bad power supply, transformer, trial? I'll take any kind of well informed suggestions and thank you all in advance!

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Pappy B
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Re: Noisy Nashville 112

Post by Pappy B » Mon May 08, 2023 3:53 pm

If you haven't done so yet, use some electronics contact cleaner on all connections, pots, jacks, pins, sockets.... Dirty and corroded contact between any connections can be noisy. Clean any left over residue. Ribbon cables, if any, can be a source of trouble. If they have pins and sockets make sure they are clean. If soldered make sure they don't have any cracks/breaks. Pull the op amps and clean the sockets and pins on the chips. Make sure you get them back in the same way they came out. Mark them if necessary. Unplug the speaker wires and clean the connections.

After cleaning with everything back in but the chassis still exposed, turn it on and use a wood or plastic chopstick and gently push, tap, prod components to see if any thing reacts. A simple broken solder joint or a wire can make a lot of noise.

If it has a reverb tank,it needs the connections cleaned up and the tank it's self examined for damaged springs or wires.

All of this may not find the problem but may be helpful to the tech.
The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know.

Keoki
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Re: Noisy Nashville 112

Post by Keoki » Tue May 09, 2023 9:44 am

Thanks Pappy, 🙏

All of your suggestions duly noted and checked. Unfortunately no new discoveries ala Cristopher Columbus and the (well inhabited) New World. Amp's in the shop as we speak. Exhausted my limited abilities; felt as if I'd hit that feeling of stumbling around a pitch black room trying to find a circuit breaker. Based on the aforesaid description of the issues and the limited diagnostics I could provide Kent, the owner, hypothesized power supply and/or power amp "issue" but did not seem overly concerned as to his ability to repair or the cost effectiveness of said repair (Praise Lord!). Let's both see what he comes back with.

Keoki ~ George

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Pappy B
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Re: Noisy Nashville 112

Post by Pappy B » Tue May 09, 2023 7:46 pm

My suggestions are what I usually do before actually trouble shooting. Without seeing or hear it I would also start trouble shooting in the power amp section. Capacitors can be a source of problems. The power resistors can also change value of time. I'm guessing he will find the problem and get it going without too much trouble. The fact that the noise is constant makes it easier. The intermeitten noise problems can be a little harder to find sometimes.

Keep us posted.
The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know.

Keoki
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Re: Noisy Nashville 112

Post by Keoki » Sat May 20, 2023 1:49 am

Pappy,

Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts, always appreciate people willing to help. Sorry for delay in update, small issue of cross country trip for niece's wedding in “Baaaston”and jet jump from there to Portugal where I’m currently awake and most of the US is asleep. My amp tech, Kent, called the day before I left and said “you couldn’t have poured nitric acid on the patch board and done much worse than whatever got spilled on it through the top vent”. 😳

Apparently, aforesaid mystery liquid likely sat on the board uncleaned after the spill and simply ate the board traces to the point where Kent couldn’t even remove and repopulate the board with fresh components. Considering that Coca-Cola syrup is extremely acidic (phosphoric acid) and Coke alone will eat copper like no tomorrow (don’t ask how I know) the diagnosis doesn’t surprise me.

So Pappy, know anyone that would take pity on a poor boy like me and work a deal for an American made Nash 112? I am determined!

George

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Pappy B
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Re: Noisy Nashville 112

Post by Pappy B » Mon May 22, 2023 4:15 pm

Sorry to hear the circuit board wasn't fixable. Had a Lowery organ given to me that had been wrapped in a blanket the a plastic sheet stored in a barn here in southwest Oklahoma. It looked great when uncovered but wouldn't power on. When I pulled the circuit boards you could run your hand accross them and the components just rolled off. Besides chewing the power cord almost in two the mice and rats pissed on everthing in side that organ. Even the speaker was destroyed.

Also wittnessed the destruction from a spilled can of Orange Fanta Soda into a control console for a Hawk Missile Battalion in Korea back in the early 70's. Took a long time to get it up and running again.

Don't know anyone that has one for sale. I see them listed on Reverb.com sometimes but aven't really looked at them because I wasn't looking for one.
The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know.

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dak
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Re: Noisy Nashville 112

Post by dak » Mon May 22, 2023 5:09 pm

This must be the first time I have read a comparison between bad effects of Coke vs rat piss.

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Pappy B
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Re: Noisy Nashville 112

Post by Pappy B » Mon May 22, 2023 7:44 pm

Hope I never encounter either one again! But I will say that the Coke damage smells better.
The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know.

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